The white-cheeked laughingthrush is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Region
Indochina, Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, mainly in subtropical and tropical evergreen forests. It uses both lowland and foothill to montane forests with dense bamboo, thickets, and secondary growth. The species is frequently found along forest edges, riparian strips, and regenerating clearings where cover is abundant. It prefers dense understory where it can move in cover while foraging. It tolerates some disturbance provided understory complexity remains.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
White-cheeked laughingthrushes move in noisy, close-knit parties that keep contact with a chorus of chuckles and whistles. They often skulk in dense undergrowth but will hop into more open edges to forage. Like many laughingthrushes, they sometimes join mixed-species flocks. Local habitat loss and trapping can affect populations, but the species remains fairly widespread in Indochina.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; low, bounding flights through cover
Social Behavior
Typically travels in small, cohesive groups or family parties that keep constant vocal contact. Pairs likely maintain territories within suitable habitat and nest in dense shrubs or low vegetation with cup-shaped nests. They may join mixed-species flocks while foraging along forest edges and in bamboo thickets.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A lively series of chuckles, whistles, and laughing notes delivered antiphonally within the group. Calls are loud and carry well through the understory, often betraying the flock’s presence before the birds are seen.
Plumage
Warm brown to rufous-brown body with a contrasting clean white cheek and ear-covert patch, bordered by darker facial markings. Underparts are buffy to pale brown, with a slightly paler throat. Tail is graduated and the wings are rounded, suited to maneuvering through dense vegetation.
Diet
Omnivorous, taking insects, spiders, and other small invertebrates gleaned from foliage and leaf litter. Supplements with berries, small fruits, and seeds, especially outside peak insect periods. Will probe mossy trunks, turn leaves, and pick prey from twigs and vine tangles.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in dense understory, bamboo patches, forest edges, and along trails and streams. Often forages near the ground or in low shrubs, moving methodically in small parties.
